ECFMG Professionalism & Ethics 5

Question 1

An ECFMG-certified physician learns that a medical school she attended has been found to have issued fraudulent degrees. She is not personally involved in the fraud. Her most appropriate action is to:

Accepted Answer

Proactively disclose the situation to ECFMG and cooperate with any investigation

Answer

Take no action since she is personally innocent

Answer

Quietly obtain verification from another school to replace her credentials

Answer

Consult a lawyer and avoid contact with ECFMG until formally contacted

Question 2

A physician employed by a managed care organization is told to limit specialist referrals to reduce costs. When a patient clearly needs specialist care, the physician should:

Accepted Answer

Refer the patient and advocate for the policy to be changed through appropriate channels

Answer

Follow the organization's policy to preserve the employment relationship

Answer

Refer the patient privately without documenting to avoid organizational scrutiny

Answer

Ask the patient to self-refer so the physician avoids policy violation

Question 3

A physician overhears colleagues making racially discriminatory comments about a patient in the break room. According to professional ethics, the physician should:

Accepted Answer

Address it directly with colleagues and, if behavior continues, report it

Answer

Ignore it since it occurred outside the clinical setting

Answer

Report it immediately to administration without speaking to colleagues first

Answer

Document the incident privately but take no action unless it affects patient care

Question 4

During a clinical encounter, a physician realizes the patient's presenting symptoms could indicate intimate partner violence. The most appropriate initial response is to:

Accepted Answer

Ask directly about safety in a private, non-judgmental setting

Answer

Avoid the topic to maintain the patient's dignity

Answer

Immediately call law enforcement

Answer

Document the suspicion and defer to a social worker without speaking to the patient

Question 5

Which of the following actions best reflects the professional value of 'accountability' for an IMG physician?

Accepted Answer

Acknowledging a clinical mistake to the patient, apologizing, and reporting it through the hospital's error reporting system

Answer

Attributing a diagnostic error to a nurse's documentation mistake

Answer

Correcting the error quietly without informing the patient to avoid distress

Answer

Consulting legal counsel before disclosing any error to the patient

Question 6

A physician is treating an adolescent (age 15) who discloses consensual sexual activity and requests contraception without parental notification. In most U.S. states, the physician should:

Accepted Answer

Provide confidential contraceptive services as permitted under minor consent laws

Answer

Refuse care and insist on parental consent

Answer

Notify parents immediately as required by law

Answer

Defer care until the patient turns 18

Question 7

A pharmaceutical company offers to fund a physician's research in exchange for favorable mention of their drug in resulting publications. This arrangement most directly violates the principle of:

Accepted Answer

Research integrity and transparency due to undisclosed conflict of interest

Answer

Veracity only if the physician publishes false data

Answer

Non-maleficence since no patient is directly harmed

Answer

Justice because funding is inequitably distributed

ECFMG Professionalism & Ethics 5

What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for ECFMG

Sources & references